Abstract: An HPLC method for the determination of lactose, glucose and galactose in fermented milk was established. Proteins from samples were precipitated with Carrez reagent. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Aminex HPX 87H column using 5 mmol/L H2SO4  as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Good separation was obtained for the analytes. The calibration curves established showed good linearity over the concentration range of 0.5 to 12 mg/mL, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9986 to 0.9999 (n＝5). The mean spike recoveries for the sugars in fermented skim milk prepared in our lab varied from 96.45% to 101.78% with a RSD between 0.62% and 4.21% (n＝5). The reproducibility RSDs ranged from 1.86% to 3.44%. The method was rapid, accurate and reliable.

Key words: high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), fermented milk, lacose, glucose, galactose